


farewell

by MidnightBlueMoon



Series: jazz clubs make for great first dates [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 500 Words Challenge, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-12 17:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17471534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightBlueMoon/pseuds/MidnightBlueMoon
Summary: A family should be together in times like this. So they are - even if Rossi didn't ask them.





	farewell

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the episode 10x12.

He doesn’t ask Aaron to come to the funeral. They have a case, and their relationship is still so new, so fragile - maybe this will change something.  
Dave has crashed too many relationships to risk for this one to go up in flames. So he only calls Garcia, and because she is a gift, she helps him with everything. He knows he’s been given a gift with this team - but at the moment, he only remembers the family he has lost.  
So he puts on his suit and tie, fingers slow assembling the armour he needs.  
He sits on the bench and his daughter finds him. She looks at him with sad, compassionate eyes and tells him _‘family should be together in times like this’_. She never met Harrison - but she aches for her father, and Dave is once again reminded of how little time parents and children sometimes have.  
They take the car to the graveyard, and when they walk up to it, Dave spots him immediately. Aaron looks like he almost always does - indifferent, patient, carefully still. But when he looks up and sees Dave, his face goes soft with worry and relief. Dave wonders if he had always been able to recognize Aaron’s micro-expressions, or if that is a new thing.  
He doesn’t consciously decide to walk up to Aaron, but suddenly he is in front of his boyfriend. “You came.” His voice is a little hoarse, raw from the heartache.  
Aaron doesn’t smile, but his eyes are warm and Dave feels a little less like the world is falling apart. “Yeah, I did.”  
Dave doesn’t know what to do - they haven’t talked about this. He kind of wants to kiss Aaron. Mostly, he wants to go home, sit in silence, and maybe cry. But, and the thought is new and strange, he wouldn’t mind coming home to Aaron was waiting for him.  
In the end, he does nothing - because there is an invisible line they haven’t crossed yet and there will be time to talk about it. So he just says “Thank you, Aaron”, and tries to put what he truly means into it. And if Aaron’s hand on his shoulder is anything to go by, the man understands. Aaron stands next to him at the funeral, and his presence is comforting to Dave. Maybe it’s because he thinks Aaron understands. Losing a friend you served with is like losing a friend you worked with for the FBI. There are no words that can explain the pain he feels, and with Aaron, he doesn’t have to.  
Dave stands at his friend’s grave and wonders if this is the future. Standing at graves, because everyone around him is dying. He salutes his last goodbye to his friend. His heart is heavy, but he hopes Harrison found peace.  
But when he turns around, he sees his daughter and his boyfriend waiting for him. His heart beats painfully in his chest. This is his future. It’s a good one.


End file.
